The portable bow and long gun holder holds a bow or a long gun for a hunter in a hunting blind or a tree stand and folds into a small package to carry into and out of a hunting area.
Hunters set on tree stands and in hunting blinds for hours waiting for game to come within range of their weapons. Holding a weapon for long periods of time is tiring. After supporting the weight of a weapon for some period of time, a hunter""s muscles tire and lose their ability to hold a weapon steady while aiming at prey. The length of time a weapon can be held before muscle fatigue becomes a problem depends on a number of factors including the physical condition of the hunter, the weight of the weapon, weather conditions and the hunting area.
Hunters generally try to keep their weapons clean, dry and in good condition for use. They do not like to lay them down in mud or on wet surfaces. Dust and sandy surfaces are also avoided especially if the weapon has moving parts that can be damaged or prevented from functioning properly by dust or sand. Hard surfaces such as rocks can damage weapons and are therefore also to be avoided.
Weapons that are held by a holder need to be close to a hunter and generally in a position which minimizes the movement required to place them in a position to be used. Game can often detect movement at substantial distances and can be scared away if movement is detected. A hunter should be able to reach his weapon with hand and arm movement only. Minimal addition movement should be required to move the weapon to a proper use position.
Noise can also alert prey. A weapon holder should therefore minimize the possibility of making excessive noise when the weapon is removed from the holder. The holder should also remain in a position for use and not fall over when the weapon is removed.
A number of weapon holders, that have been proposed in the past, require parts to be fixed to the weapon. These parts that connect to the weapon are generally undesirable. They add weight and in some cases require permanent modification of the weapon. Such modifications of a weapon may interfere with proper functioning of the weapon. Anything that is attached to a weapon can catch on objects such as vines, tree limbs and other vegetation when carrying the weapon into a hunting area. These attachments may also catch on a hunter""s clothes or other equipment.
Weapon holders have also been proposed that include structures that penetrate into the ground. If the ground is rock of even just hard soil, it may not be possible to obtain the required penetration. Hunting areas with sandy soils and other soft soils may not hold a weapon holder upright even when embedded in the soil the maximum intended distance.
The portable bow and long gun holder has a base plate with a forward end, a rear end, a fore and aft center line and a top surface, and an upright with an upper end, a lower end, a left side and a right side. A hinge pivotally attaches the lower end of the upright to the base plate adjacent to the forward end for pivotal movement between a weapon support position and a transport position in which the upright is generally parallel to the base plate. A weapon bottom end holder on the rear end of the base plate includes a pair of spaced apart side walls on opposite sides of the fore and aft center line and a bottom end wall that is transverse to the fore and aft center line and faces toward the hinge. A weapon upper holder on an upper end of the upright has pair of bow engaging surfaces and a gun barrel engaging surface between the pair of bow engaging surfaces. A lock releasably holds the upright in the weapon support position.
A cutout in one side of the upright provides an arrow passage. The upright is reversible to shift the cutout from one side to another to accommodate both right handed and left handed hunters. The weapon upper holder is also reversible.
Outriggers are clamped to the upright to provide lateral stability.